BIG STAR Vinyl Records and CDs

Decades after their breakup in 1975, Memphis' Big Star still remain one of the most influential cult bands in the United States. The music of Big Star -- which featured songwriters Alex Chilton and the late Chris Bell, as well as drummer Jody Stephens and bassist Andy Hummell -- is built around a studied purist's pop foundation. Much like the Beatles, Big Star's upbeat pop/rock songs are filled with soaring harmonies, addictive hooks and guitar riffs that still baffle the virtuosos. Big Star's classic, sometimes difficult Third/Sister Lovers LP boasted a departure from the classic pop/rock formula into a much darker, drug-fueled realm of heartache and loss mixed with over-the-top studio innovation. Many musicians have said that Big Star were to the 1970s what the Velvet Underground were to the 1960s.